| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/D000440/1 |
| Title: |
A two-dimensional Bose gas |
| Principal Investigator: |
Foot, Professor CJ |
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| Department: |
Oxford Physics |
| Organisation: |
University of Oxford |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 2005 |
Ends: |
31 March 2009 |
Value (£): |
328,626
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Cold Atomic Species |
Quantum Optics & Information |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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In our current experiments, we have created two-dimensional Bose gas by taking a Bose-Einstein condensate formed by evaporative cooling in a magnetic trap and compressing it between two sheets of light. Such two-dimensional systems are of great interest in condensed matter physics (and quantum fluctuations have greater importance in lower dimensions than in 3-d systems). Our experiments with a dilute vapour of rubidium atoms will add greatly to the understanding gained from previous work with spin-polarized atomic hydrogen on surfaces and films of superfluid helium-4 since we will extract information directly from images of the density distribution (or vortices), rather than making inferences from other properties. By imposing a periodic potential on this system to create a two-dimensional optical lattice we will study how the distinctive superfluid properties of weakly interacting condensates are modified by the lattice.In a separate EPSRC project (ending in March 2006) we are developing techniques to manipulate the state and position of individual atoms within an optical lattice by the dipole force. In the later parts of the work proposed here, we shall incorporate those techniques into a new apparatus which has very efficient detection of single atoms by means of a high-finesse cavity. Ultimately, the complete system will be able record the position and quantum state of each individual atom from which the correlations within the system can be determined. This is an essential part of schemes to implement quantum computation with arrays of neutral atoms (qubits).
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ox.ac.uk |